Author
Topic: Tomme - Vaca al Vino (Read 1068 times)

5-4-13Mostly I prefer to make cheese without additional flavors, but decided to try one soaked in wine after reading about them here. I also have not used Pav's Tomme recipe yet, and had been meaning to try it. So here is the result.

12:50 Milk to temp at 88 degrees, culture sprinkled on and after 5 mins rehydrating, stirred in.1: 30 Milk pH remains 6.6. Stirred in calcium, waiting a few mins before rennet.1:40 Stirred in rennet. Flocculation in 13.5 mins, clean break target of about 45 mins.2:30 Cut in 3/8 inch cubes and let rest 10 mins. Gentle stirring and breaking up larger pieces. Slow increase of temperature to 100 degrees over 40 mins. Held, stirring, at 100 degrees until curd judged to be ready. Whey pH 6.4.3:40 Drained whey to level of curd and let sink to bottom of pot, pressing with hand3:50 Drained off remaining when fitting cheesecloth bag of curd into form. Whey pH 6.4.4:00 Pressing in pot under whey with 5 # on top.4:15 Pressing in press with 9 #4:30 Redressed/turned, starting to knit up very well, back into press with 9 #5:00 Redressed/turned, well but wanting a tighter rind, so increased weight to 18 #. Whey pH 5.76:00 Turned and pressed naked for smoother rind still with 18 #. Whey pH 5.46:30 Out of press and into cave at 50degrees to cool off. Whey pH 5.3.10:30 Into brine with salt to the top.7:30 (overslept) out of the brine.Letting it rest in cave to dry for a week. The funny shape is because it was soft enough initially to slump into the ricotta basket a set it in while it was drying overnight.

5-11-13 Soaking in Shiraz (1 liter with 1 T salt) for 6 hours, dry 2 days, repeat, dry 2 days soaked 12 hours. The last soaking was longer because I was trying to get a more uniform color. I really was not sure how long to soak it having read all the way from 2 hours to 36 hours. In a few weeks I will taste test!

Very nice. Will be interested in seeing how this turns out. But, are you sure you want to taste it in a few weeks? Tomme's really require four months, or better, six, to come into their own. Give it time, you might not care for it in a few weeks only to miss out on the wonderful bounty that arrives a few months later.

- Jeff

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